A Forum for Orthodox Jewish thought on Halacha, Hashkafa, and the social issues of our time.

Thursday, February 12, 2015

Who are the Real Orthodox Jews?

MO rabbinic leader, Rav Aharon Lichtenstein

One of the words one will most frequently see here is ‘Orthodox’.
It is a word that I frankly do not enjoy
using, but use as of necessity. It helps to define observant Jews. I would say
that the definition of an Orthodox Jew is as follows: It is a Jewish individual
that believes in God, the truth of the Torah narrative, observes its laws (Halacha)
and does not veer too far off from tradition. Tradition is defined as more or
less as Mesorah – Torah values passed on from one generation to the next.

The use of this word to define us has been challenged in a
thoughtful editorial by David Sable in the Jewish Week. He suggests we abandon
that term. Perhaps. But I’m not sure what to replace it with. His point is that we need to sever our
connection to a right wing that has abandoned the Orthodoxy of old. He correctly says that ‘move to the right’ has
turned Orthodoxy that was definitively American and liberal into a version of
Charedism. Communities that once shared
liberal American values while being strict adherents of Halacha and sought
Rabbis ordained in Yeshiva University are now increasingly looking to Lakewood
for such leadership. In many cases he’s right about that. Here is what he
thinks the yet to be named model is:

The new niche is already carved out. It is dynamic,
accessible and democratic. It values Jewish ethics and morality as an integral
expression of religiosity and doesn’t denigrate them to a place below ritual
observance. It welcomes the participation of women. It encourages questions and
questioning. It rejects the entire notion of Dat Torah, the papal-like
infallibility of some rabbinic leaders. It is steeped in and based on halacha ,
but its view of Jewish law is that it is an evolving system that needs to be
sensitive to time and place.

He seems to view Open Orthodoxy (OO) as the model. That - he says - is where the Centrist of old would feel
at home.

But calling Open Orthodoxy Centrist begs the question, what
is Leftist Orthodoxy? I don’t think one can find anything to the left of Open Orthodoxy
that can still be called Orthodox. And I
am sorry to say that OO has left the reservation. What they now champion is what the
Conservative Movement once championed. It is almost as if they can’t wait to
catch up with the innovations Conservative Judaism. All in the name of Halacha,
of course. Mr. Sable is not apologetic about this new movement being meticulous
in Halachic observance, But neither is he apologetic about his view that Open
Orthodoxy is the way to go.

I am very skeptical about this being the - yet to be named –
denomination. It is not so much in how he defines it. It is how to interpret
and implement it - that I have issues. Yes, Jewish ethics and morals are
integral to Orthodoxy. And indeed they should not be denigrated. But his de-emphasis
on ritual observance (Halacha) is troubling. I know he doesn’t not mean to
denigrate it. But by putting morals ahead of Halacha, he seems to be missing
the essence of what Judaism is all about.

Halacha defines us. Our morals and ethics are derived of the
Torah. Ethical moral considerations beyond what the Torah tells us may be of
value. But those values are not necessarily eternal. They are subject to the
times. Furthermore when an ethical value which is not Torah based contradicts
the Torah we reject it.

And while Judaism encourages questions and questioning, I
believe this is a reference to someone like
OO Rabbi Zev Farber who considers the events at Sinai to be fictional. If
that is what he means, I could not disagree more.

I have my issues with Daas Torah. I agree with him that
there is far too much veneration of Rabbinic leaders to the point of infallibility.
But at the same time rabbinic leaders deserve to be heard and their views respected
even if we disagree. To imply that there is never a place for a rabbi’s input in
matters of public policy is to reject the Torah itself. It is important to have rabbinic leaders to
guide us in areas where the right decision may not be apparent to even religiously
educated Jews. What is not important is to always look to the rabbis with the most
right wing point of view. So that if for
example the Agudah Moetzes states their view and Rav Soloveitchik disagrees
with them, we have every right to follow Rav Soloveitichik and reject what the
Agudah Moetzes says.

But to reject all expert Rabbinic opinion and rely on our
own logic is a dangerous game that can lead us down the same path Conservative Judaism
has followed. Yes Judaism is dynamic. But when it comes to major public policy decisions
that radically changes the way we do things, we need to rely on experts. Not on
ourselves, no matter how noble the motivation.

And yet Open Orthodoxy has done just that. They consider
themselves expert enough and use Judaism’s ability to change with the times to
innovate new policy without the slightest thought as to how people greater than
themselves might rule on these issues. Decisions
that Rav Soloveitchik would clearly have condemned. They reject Mesorah which
they say is no longer compatible with the times. That is exactly what the Conservative
movement did. Which is why they can now
have female rabbis and allow interpretations of the Torah narrative as
fictional. I fail to see any real difference between a Conservative movement
that had always declared to be adherents of Halacha and Open Orthodoxy that has
done the same. Except for the Mechitza issue, they are almost identical.

Mr. Sable rejects the Modern Orthodox Rabbi that has moved
to the right. Here is how he puts it:

Frankly we need clarity so that our children don’t get
confused by so- called Modern Orthodox rabbis who don’t represent a world view
that is consistent with the values that we believe in. I want clarity so that
our children will stay inspired and involved without the need to “flip,”
embracing a fundamentalist religious lifestyle.

I’m not sure how he defines ‘fundamentalist’. If his is talking about a Modern Orthodox rabbi
who was ordained at Yeshiva University who now embraces the Daas Torah expressed
by the right, and rejects all of modernity, then there is nothing modern about
him. But if he is talking about someone who adheres to Torah, respects right wing
opinion even if he disagrees with it, rejects the many lines crossed by Open
Orthodoxy but does not reject modernity when it does not conflict with the
Torah and indeed encourages it both in the intellectual and recreational sphere,
then he is talking about me.

Religiously - I am a Centrist. Not only intellectually and
culturally but sociologically as well. Someone who does not believe in the
excesses of the right or the left. To me that is the Judaism of the past and of
the future. And as I have said many
times the new centrists are sociological and are comprised of the right wing of
Modern Orthodoxy and moderate Charedim.

So at the end of the day, I’m not so sure I would reject the
term Orthodox. Orthodoxy includes ultra Orthodox Jews as well as ultra liberal Orthodox
Jews. What I would do instead is stop calling the extreme left (e.g. Open Orthodoxy)
and the extreme right (eg. Neturei Karta) - Orthodox. But the rest of us are.

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About Me

My outlook on Judaism is based mostly on the teachings of my primary Rebbe, Rabbi Aaron Soloveichik from whom I received my rabbinic ordination. It is also based on a search for spiritual truth. Among the various sources that put me on the right path, two great philosophic works stand out: “Halakhic Man” and “Lonely Man of Faith” authored by the pre-eminent Jewish philosopher and theologian, Rabbi, Dr. Joseph B. Soloveitchik. Of great significance is Rabbi, Dr. Norman Lamm's conceptualization and models of Torah U’Mada and Dr. Eliezer Berkovits who introduced me to the world of philosophic thought. Among my early influences were two pioneers of American Elementary Torah Chinuch, Rabbis Shmuel Kaufman and Yaakov Levi. The Yeshivos I attended were Yeshivas Telshe for early high school and more significantly, the Hebrew Theological College where for a period of ten years, my Rebbeim included such great Rabbinic figures as Rabbis Mordechai Rogov, Shmaryahu Meltzer, Yaakov Perlow, Herzl Kaplan, and Selig Starr. I also attended Roosevelt University where I received my Bachelor's Degree - majoring in Psychology.